I think long distance costs are going to be a bit different. Most journeys by cars are short ones and there is a better network of local buses than trains. I've also heard, although I'm not sure if it's true that car emissions are higher at the start of a journey before things have warmed up to their normal working temperature. At the moment, buses look a whole lot more expensive than cars and I think the carbon credits would make a difference. I know what a pain it is to get to Warrington by train. It's a journey I make a couple of times a year and dread it every time.
I also know that cars are very expensive in terms of tax and everything else (I mean, I can't afford to have one), but I figure a lot of people don't realise this in their day to day use. That's why I've been saying that public transport seems more expensive. With petrol alone costing about 10p a mile, I figure for one person travelling alone the car will actually be more expensive and, apart from the issues of comfort and convenience, there is also a problem
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I can't tell if I like this idea or not. On the one hand I'm happy to pay more for my evil car, but at the same time public-transport should be where most of the car-generated money goes.
I know the carbon credit scheme generally doesn't work for industry - it increases pollution rather than decreases it (mandatory caps that gradually reduce are the way forward). It may work on a personal level, but the amount of admin would be enormous. Much better to increase taxes on cars with lower/non-existent taxes on non-polluting cars. Hybrids should definetely get money off them.
Public transport is very expensive and does get quite a bit of money spent on it for very little apparent improvement. And it's going to take a lot more (money and other things) to overcome the inertia of personal car use. And because cars are so expensive, using the taxes charged on them for anything other than road building generates a lot of ill feeling from many car owners/users who always make up the majority of the voting public. I think the idea with the personal carbon credits was to introduce an ongoing reduction year on year in how many you were given. Hybrids do get money off over here: 50% off benefit-in-kind tax, at least 2 percentage points off vehicle excise duty and exemption from congestion charges. In Ireland, there's 50% off vehicle registration tax and maybe some other benefits.
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I also know that cars are very expensive in terms of tax and everything else (I mean, I can't afford to have one), but I figure a lot of people don't realise this in their day to day use. That's why I've been saying that public transport seems more expensive. With petrol alone costing about 10p a mile, I figure for one person travelling alone the car will actually be more expensive and, apart from the issues of comfort and convenience, there is also a problem ( ... )
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I know the carbon credit scheme generally doesn't work for industry - it increases pollution rather than decreases it (mandatory caps that gradually reduce are the way forward). It may work on a personal level, but the amount of admin would be enormous. Much better to increase taxes on cars with lower/non-existent taxes on non-polluting cars. Hybrids should definetely get money off them.
Reply
I think the idea with the personal carbon credits was to introduce an ongoing reduction year on year in how many you were given.
Hybrids do get money off over here: 50% off benefit-in-kind tax, at least 2 percentage points off vehicle excise duty and exemption from congestion charges. In Ireland, there's 50% off vehicle registration tax and maybe some other benefits.
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